The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1887-10-20
The Maniac Enqineer
IN. Y. Evening SUM-

1HdI WAS lulSuty eACltIHS Seoiy
in the Evening Sun the other day
about Engineer Bostworth, who went
mad in his locomotive cab on the Wa
bash road out in Iowa, and, after near
ly wrecking the train, tried to jump
from the window" said old Bob
Whitaker, veteran engineer on the
New York Central yesterday, ''but it
wasn't circumstance to the exper-
ience | once had with crazy man at
the throttle"
Whitaker was urged to tell his
story, and proceeded in the deliberate
style of old fashioned story tellers:
Forty years on the foot-board are
not apt to pass without some thrilling
episodes" he began, land I've had my
share; but nothing ever made my cap
rise right off my head and my heart
sink clear into my boots as did the
event that I'm going to tell you
about. 1t happened a dozen years or
so ago. | was running on the Lake
Shore Road then, from Cleveland to
Chicago. Id lost my job as engineer,
so | shipped as fireman. The engi-
neer was strong, wiry man, consid-
erably larger than myself, named Ziel
Franklin. He was called one Of the
best engineers in the West, but was a
trifle eccentric. | had been running
as fireman with Ziel for several
months, when we started one night to
take the fast mail from Cleveland to
Chicago.
"It was a drizzling, gloomy night,
very much like what we've been hav-
ing in New York for a week, and
darker than ton of Lackawanna
coal. We had No. 313, the biggest
and newest machine on the road and
terror for speed. Our regular en-
gine, No. 1872, had been stabbed for re-
| pairs. I'm not naturally superstitious,
like most railroaders, but the weather
had made me kind O blue, s'pose, or
my supper didn't set quite right, and
as we pulled out of the Cleveland sta
tion at 1915 p. m. | couldn't help
thinking about that thirteen in the
engines number Besides it was early
spring, the ground was soft from the
rain. and the going was very danger
Gus. Ziel seemed to be depressed by
the weather or something else, just as
l was. We logged on and on into the
inky darkness at a steady pace of
forty-fve miles an hour. The heavy
train of four mail and express cars,
two day coaches and three sleepers,
rumbled monotonously behind US.
Neither of US had spoken for an hour.
Ziel was watching the track as if he
expected it to fly up and run away.
I was conjuring up more blue devils
over the nasty night, and the presence
Of that unlucky thirteen in the en-
gine's number.
Suddenly, just as | was wondering
for the odd hundredth time whether
there was anything in luck signs, any
way. Ziel jumped from his box and
threw open the furnace door. He
stood motionless for fully minute,
glaring into the fire.
"'Oho! that's the way Of it, eh p
he cried at last, turning sharply to
me. The food of light from the red
hot Goals poured full ON his face. The
features were horribly distorted and
his eyes bulged from their sockets.
That's the way Of it, eh?' he repeat
ed, glowering fercely at me.
"'I guess so, Ziel,' said I, not know
ing what else to say, and trying to
force laugh. | had decided he was
drunk.
"'Oho! that's it, eh?' he roared
again. 1t is, Ell? Ohio! I thought
so. Well, make up the fire then
II was too astonished to stir for an
instant as the fire needed no making
up. He noted my hesitation.
"'Make up that frer he yelled.
Heap her up, and be quick about it,
dye hear?'
without a word I threw in several
shovels Of coal. Almost instantly the
steam gauge began to run up. Ziel
noticed it complacently. He peered
out along the tracks again in grim
silence. Presently he turned and said
with a fearful oath: Didn't [ tell
you to heap her up? She's freezing
to death, man, can't you see? Heap
her up high, or by the living God I'll
toss you in there to help feed the
famesr
81 threw in another small shovel Of
coal, and tried to shut the furnace
door. Ziel sprang from his box, and
grabbing the shovel, tossed in two or
three bushels m ore. Then he caught
up the sledge hammer, and hung it
on the safety valve. Ny worst fears
were realized. I knew that he was
mad. We plunged more rapidly than
ever into the darkness. The maniac
at the throttle craned his head from
the cab window. AS he drew it back
he muttered several times: We'll
keep her warm, poor thing; oh, yes
we'll keep her warm, depend on on,
that
"He seemed to ignore my presence
entirely. Again he got down and
heaped more coal into the furnace
Then as he sat down, he pulled the